The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1887-06-02
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
A Tribute to the Sailors Whose
Achievements Are Forgotten.
Deeds of Naval Heroes who sleep BE-
meath the Sea-Impressive Word
Painting of Historic Fleets
and Their Commanders

memorial sermon in the Brooklyn Tab
srnscle, on a recent sabbath, in which he
devoted his attention more particularly
to the naval heroes OF the past he took
for his text;
Behold also the ships-Jsmes ILL.,, a
He said: IL this exclamation wero ap-
propriate about eighteen hundred and
sixty years ago, whom il was written con.
corning the crude fishing smacks that
sailed Lake Galilee, how much more ap-
propriate in an age which has launched
from. the dry docks for purposes OF
peace the Arizona, OF the Guion Line; the
City of Richmond, of tho lnman Line;
the Egypt, of the National Line; the Ger.
manic, of the White Star Line; the Cir
cassia, OF the Anchor Line; the Etrurla,
of the Cunard Line, and the Great East
ern, with hull $50 feet long-not failure,
for it helped lay the Atlantic
cable, and that was enough glory
for one ships existence-and in
an age which for purposes Of
war has launched the screw-sloops like
the Idaho, the Shenandoah, the Ossippe,
and our iron clads like the Kalamazoo,
the Roanoke and the Dunderberg, and
those which have already been buried in
the deep, like the Monitor, the Housa-
tonic, the Weehawken and the TeCumseh,
the tempests ever since sounding a volley
over their water sepulchers, and the
SCARED veterans of war shipping, like tho
Constitution, or the Alliance, or the Con-
stellation, that have swung into the naval
yards to spend their la It days, their decks
now all silent of the feet that trod them,
their rigging all silent OF the hands that
chung to them, their portfolios silent OF
the. brazen Threats that once Numbered
out of them. If in the first ceutury, when
war vessels were dependent on the oars
that padded at the side of them for pro-
pulsion, my text was suggestive; with how
much more emphasis, and meaning, and
overwhelming "reminiscences we can cry
out as we see the Koarsage lay across
the bows Of the Alabama and sink il,
teaching foreign nations they had better
keep their hand off our American aght or
as we see the ram Albemarle, of the Con-
federates, running out and in the Roam
oke, and up and down the coast, throw
ing every thing into confusion as no other
craft ever did, pursued by the Miami, the
Ceres, the Southfield, the Sass acus, the
Mattabesett, the Whitehead, the Commo-
dore Hull, the isiana, the Minnesota
and other armed vessels, all trying in
vain to catch her, until Captain Gushing,
twenty-one years OF age, and his men
blew her up, himself and only one other
escaping; and, as l see the flagship Hart
ford, and the Richmond, and the Monon =
gahela, with other gunhoats, sweep past
the batteries of Port Hudson, and the
Mississippi flows forever free TO all North
erD and Southern craft, cry out with a
patriotic emotion that can not suppress
if would. and would not if could;
''Beho,d also the ships ~
At the annual decoration Of graves
A,.fh II a
Confederates, full justice has been done
to the memory of those who fought on tho
land in our great contest, but not enough
has been said of those who on ships deck
dared and suffered all things. Lord God
of the rivers and the sea, help me in this
sermonl So, ye Admirals, Commodor G s,
Commanders, Captains, pilots, gunners,
boatswalns, sail-makers, surgeons, stok-
ers, messmates and seamen of all names,
to use your own parlance, we might as
we'll get under way and stand out toward
sea. Let all land lubbers go ashore Full
speed nowI Four bells.
Never since the sea fight of Lepapto
where 800 royal gaileys, manned by 50, 900
warriors, at sunrise, September O. 1911,
met go royal galleys, manned by 12J,00J
men, and in the four hours of battle 5000
fell on one side, and 5000 on the other;
yea, never since the day when at Actium
thirty -one years before Christ, Augu stus,
with 500 ships, scattered the go
ships OF Mark Antony and gained uni
versal dominion as the prize; yea, since
the day when at Salami' the | ,200 galleys
OF the Persians, manned By 500, 900 men,
were crushed hs Greeks with less than a
third OF that fore; yea, never since the
time OF Noah, the first ship captain, has
oh
tiop as that of the American navy in 1851
There were about 900 available seamen n
all the navy stations and receiving ships,
and here and there an old vessel Yet
orders were given to blockade 8, 500 miles
OF seacoast, greater than the whole coast
of Europe, and besides that. the Ohio, Ten
nessee, Cumberl and, Mississippi and
other great rivers, covering an extent of
2,0VO more miles, were to be patroled. No
wonder the whole civilized world burst
into guffaw of laughter at the seeming
imposslbility. But the work was done,
dene almost Immediately, done thorough
ly, and done with speed and
consummate skill that eclpsed
all the history Of naval architecture.
What brilliant achievements are sug-
gested by the mere mention of the ma me S
of the Rear Animals. If all they did
should be written, every one, suppose
that even the world Itself could not con-
tain the books that should be written.
but these names have received the honors
due. The most of them went to their graves
under the cannonade of all the forts, navy
yards and men-of-war, the flags of all the
shipping and capitols at half-mast.
But recite to-day the deeds of our nav
al heroes whe have not yet received ap-
proprlate recngn ton.
Behold also the ships.
AS we will never know what our ma.
tonal prosperity is worth until we realize
what it cost, recall the unrecited fact
that the men of the navy ran especial
risks. They had not only the human
weaponry to contend with, but the tides,
the fog, the storm. Not like other ships
could they run into harbor at the ap
preach ofan equinox, or cyclone, or a hur
ricane, because the harbors were hostil G.
A miScalculation of tide might leave
them on a bar, and fog might overthrow
all the plans of wisest Commodore anC
Admiral, and accident might leave them
not on the land ready for an ambulance
but at the bottom of the sea, as when the
torpedo blew up the Tecumseh, in Mobile
bay, and nearly all on board perish he'd
They were at the mercy of the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans, which have no mercy
Such tempests as wrecked the Spanish
armada might any day swoop upon the
squadron. No hiding behind the earth
works. No digging in of cavalry spurs a
The sound OF retreat Mighlier than all th'
fortresses on all the coasts, is the oceaI
when 1t bombards flotilla. la the GENE
teries for Federal and Co Ifederate dea(